WE HAVE IGNITION

 The source of the new power for the garage.

The new garage entered the modern world yesterday afternoon, with real, honest to goodness electricity!  This necessity that we all take for granted, was introduced to the new building, after Ray and I worked for about 5 hours.

 The four 6 gauge wires above the underground run.

My neighbor, Ray, was at the house at 8 am, and the first order of business was to make a shopping list of all the things we would need.  I had sketched out a diagram of where I wanted the plugs, switches, & lights to go, making it easier to fill out the list.  We then drove to Home Depot, and as I picked out the lights, Ray started filling his cart with all of the electrical components.  When we walked out the door, the total bill came to $1,030!  This was higher than we both had estimated, but when I started looking at the bill, the 4 strands #6 copper wire (each 110' long),  was over $400.  The two 250' rolls of romex wiring was $150, and when you add $300 for lights, it wasn't hard to see how the bill hit a grand. 

Pulling the 4 wires through the underground conduit that I had previously buried, was uneventful, and when I glued the final plastic pipe together at both ends, Ray started to connect the wiring.  This is the part where I deferred to Ray, who has years of experience as an electrician.  When it comes to electricity, I understand the basics, but just don't like to mess with breakers, buss bars, and electrical panels.  My job as electrician apprentice was to drill most of the holes through the studs, run the romex wiring, and install the plugs.  By mid afternoon, we had used the 500' of romex, but most of the circuits were hooked up.  When we quit a little after 3 pm, a couple of the plugs were hot, and about 75% of the job was done.  I did some cleanup (drilling 3/4' holes in wood, creates a huge mess), then went to the hardware store to pick up more romex, and a few other things that we'll need today.

Ray is busy installing the electrical panel.

This morning, we'll start again at 8 am, and according to Ray, the entire job should be done in another 4-5 hours.  This will be a huge check off, on my long list of projects, and thanks to my neighbor, I'm getting this job done for at least 1/2 the cost of an electrical contractor.  The satisfaction of doing something yourself has an intangible value, and given the choice, if I have the ability, I'll always be a D.I.Y. person.